


Outlandish Rumors And Responses To The Same

by Haberdasher



Category: Elsewhere University (Webcomic)
Genre: Fae & Fairies, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Genderqueer Character, Nonbinary Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 13:28:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18344624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haberdasher/pseuds/Haberdasher
Summary: Exactly what it says on the tin, with the rumors in question centering upon an OC of mine.





	Outlandish Rumors And Responses To The Same

The first rumor that spreads when Libertine arrives on campus with the rest of the incoming freshman class is that they are a changeling, one of the rare few that register as students outright rather than taking the place of others. It would explain some things, to be sure. They certainly know an awful lot about subjects that most students are only vaguely aware of (Renaissance-era Venetian politics, the rise and fall of feudalism) while seeming oblivious to other facts of life that most students take for granted (what clothes would or wouldn’t attract attention on campus, the price of most basic food staples).

(They deny the rumor and admit that they are only human, which is enough for most. For the rest, whether they are unaware of the self-proving nature of a plainly-stated denial of Gentry-dom or believe that Libertine just doesn’t  _know_  that they are a changeling, they swallow bits of salt and touch various iron implements with ease, smiling as they do so. Their smile disappears, however, when they are asked about the real source of their strange collection of knowledge, and they invariably state that they had an eclectic upbringing and politely but firmly change the subject when pressed for details.)

The next rumor that spreads is that Libertine struck a deal with the Fair Folk, either before arriving on campus or shortly after their arrival, that gave them the knowledge of how to play any musical instrument. A number of individuals try to disprove this rumor the straightforward way, by presenting Libertine with instruments both mundane and arcane and asking them to play the instrument in question, but they pass such tests with ease time and time again.

(When asked about the rumor, Libertine only smiles and laughs and asks if there’s a new instrument for them to try. The rumor is disproved not by them failing to play an instrument presented to them, but by word getting out about the various music lessons they’ve been surreptitiously arranging on campus. Ravenpuff was paid for bagpipe lessons in large bags of salted cashews; Aglet traded a cram session before an art history test for a crash course in how to play the keytar; Jade was outright paid, and paid generously at that, to teach Libertine the theremin. All three, it comes out, were sworn to secrecy about these lessons by Libertine themself, who was apparently amused by the rumors of their talent having some unnatural origin and wanted to keep them going as long as possible.)

Students then begin to say that Libertine is doomed, that they will never graduate on time or at all, that a musician with such talent--and one who dabbles in several other arts to boot--will be eagerly snatched up by the Fair Folk, never to return.

(Libertine tries to put on a brave face when rumors of their eventual downfall come up, saying that they know the old stories well enough to stay safe and do things on their own terms, but while they smile, something wavers in their eyes. Perhaps they recognize the truth behind the rumors, know the pattern underlying who the Gentry do and don’t take as their own, see that they wouldn’t be the first or the last to misjudge their ability to fend for themself against beings who have played this game longer than any human ever could.)

When it comes out that Libertine was called home unexpectedly on account of a gravely ill family member, some students whisper that the familial crisis in question is a fabrication, that Libertine  _really_  went into the Elsewhere to take their fate into their own hands.

(Libertine isn’t there to respond to these rumors in person, but if they were, they would just sigh and shake their head. If other students were able to see through their excuse for leaving the university so clearly, what chance did they have against the Gentry?)

Now, rumors spread that Libertine is a permanent resident of the Spring Court, or perhaps it was the Summer Court--that they are part of no court at all, but have a single, powerful patron--or two patrons, or three, or a dozen, one for every month of the year--that their only correspondence can be found in handwritten letters delivered by hummingbirds--no, butterflies, the letters are delivered by monarch butterflies--that the handwriting in those letters is immaculate, or nearly-unreadable, or nonexistent, the letters a mere illusion to satisfy those whom they had befriended in their brief time on campus.

(These rumors are answered only by further rumors, questions begetting more questions with no answers in sight, as the truth behind the legend of Libertine recedes further and further into Elsewhere University’s history.)


End file.
